Gloria M. LeVasseur

SCARBROUGH Gloria M. LeVasseur, 89, of Scarborough, died Wednesday, August 19, 2015 at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House. Gloria was born in Caribou, Maine, on April 12, 1926, the daughter of Abel and Eva (Santerre) LeVasseur. She attended Caribou and Waterville schools, and upon graduating from Portland High School in 1943, she supported the war effort by welding machine gun ammunition boxes. Becoming aware of the nations critical shortage of nurses, Gloria entered the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps in September, 1944, which allowed her to train as a nurse. In 1947, she graduated from the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Portland, Maine, and became a Registered Nurse. Gloria was associated with the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine from 1947 until 1970. During this time, she used her education to give to others. She was a Staff Nurse at St. Josephs Convent in Portland, and a Public Health Nurse and social worker for both the Maine Department of Health and Welfare and the Passamaquoddy Reservation in Perry, Maine. Gloria was also a Student Health Nurse at St. Josephs College in North Windham, Maine. She shared her gifts and talents with nurses in training, serving as an Instructor at the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Portland, and the Madigan Memorial Hospital in Houlton. Gloria was a member of the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association, and both the Maine and American Nurses Associations. Wishing to further her training, she completed summer sessions at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and St. Josephs College, in North Windham, Maine. In 1967, she graduated magna cum laude from Mercy College of Detroit, Michigan with a Bachelors Degree in Medical Record Library Science, receiving a Key to the City of Detroit for outstanding scholarship from the Michigan Medical Record Association. Gloria was also a member of Delta Epsilon Sigma, a National Scholastic Society of Catholic Colleges and Universities. She became a registered Medical Record Librarian in 1968 and was a member of the Maine and American Medical Record Associations. Her skill and dedication earned her the positions of Director of Nursing Aides and Medical Record Administrator at Mercy Hospital in Portland. In 1970, Gloria became a Medical Record Administrator at Portland City Hospital and Barron Center, where she remained until her retirement in 1987. Her devotion and commitment to service was again acknowledged with a certificate for 17 years of public service and presentation of a Key to the City of Portland. After retirement, Gloria spent summers at her cottage in Limington, Maine. In September, 2001, she moved to Piper Shores Retirement Community in Scarborough, Maine. While there, she enjoyed daily walks, especially within sight and sound of the ocean, and a range of other activities, from picking strawberries and gardening to attending the Portland Symphony and POPS concerts, and made a yearly tradition of attending the Magic of Christmas with her sisters and friends. Service and volunteerism did not end with Glorias retirement, however. In 2004, she became a Mercy Associate and was commissioned as a minister of the Eucharist for Piper Shores Health Center, Mercy Hospital, and St. John the Evangelist Church, where she was also a communicant for over 25 years. She continued to give to others, visiting the sick and aged, and supporting various missions, particularly the South Portland Food Bank. In 2009, she volunteered to assist the Catholic chaplain in serving Mass, and painstakingly cared for and preserved the altar linens each week. When not filling her days with helping others, Gloria was an avid reader and ardent Red Sox fan. She maintained a love of storytelling and family genealogy, and also enjoyed playing Solitaire, Scrabble, and completing crossword puzzles. Gloria is predeceased by her sisters, Doris M. (LeVasseur) Oliver and Marcella M. LeVasseur, and is survived by her sister, Lorraine (LeVasseur) Jonassen. Auntie Glo is survived by two nieces, six nephews and many great-nieces and great-nephews. Glorias family would like to thank the care givers at Mercy Hospital and the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House for their care and compassion. Visiting Hours will be held on Friday from 4-7PM at Conroy-Tully Crawford South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. Prayers will be recited at the Funeral Home on Saturday at 9:15AM followed by a 10AM Mass of Christian Burial at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, 150 Black Point Rd., Scarborough. Burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery, Broadway, South Portland. To view Glorias memorial page, or to share an online condolence, please visit www.ctcrawford.com. Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy Retirement Fund, 966 Riverside St., Portland, ME 04103.